Church's Response

The Bakhita Institute for Research into Human Slavery

The Institute will focus on practical international networking between the Church and police/law enforcement agencies.

While it has a number of strands, the focus will be on prevention, through the delivery of an awareness raising campaign and a customised training programme.

These will be rolled out at parish and community levels for those at the forefront of combating this trade. A “train-the-trainers” element will also be included so that a greater sensitivity to the needs of this marginalised group is spread in a sustainable and cost-effective way.

Training will also be provided to frontline staff and individuals, who may come into contact with potential victims of trafficking and/or exploited and vulnerable individuals and communities, especially from Eastern Europe and West Africa.

Awareness-raising will take place in target countries, given the reality of migration to Europe. As a significant amount of trafficking is conducted through deception, e.g. the promise of a well-paid job in an international hotel chain or a major construction site in London, there is considerable scope for well-planned prevention campaigns.

In summary the project will include:

co-ordinating the voluntary safe return of those who have been trafficked

sharing information about patterns of trafficking

provision of materials for education, prevention and awareness raising including advertising

promotion of the feast of St Josephine Bakhita

media work

training programmes conducted in the UK and internationally

sharing of best practice for supporting those who have experienced human trafficking particularly as developed through Caritas Bakhita House

Offices for the Hub will initially be located in Caritas Bakhita House and will be run by the International Affairs Department within the Secretariat of CBCEW.

Over the medium-term, approximately three years, it's anticipated that the Hub will be based at St Mary’s University, as an institute related to its Department for Criminology.